For the third year in a row, Cyclocross Magazine heads to the Sea Otter Classic to check out the new cyclocross gear. Many manufacturers use the spring festival to unveil their products well in advance of the cyclocross season, as opposed to September’s Interbike, which happens after the season has begun, when many racers have already procured their new equipment.
We’ll have a full gallery of product tomorrow, but today have a few early items that caught our attention.
TRP’s CX9 Cyclocross Mini V-Brake
TRP's new CX-9 cyclocross mini-v brake. © Cyclocross Magazine
TRP has unveiled their new high-end mini v-brake that’s targeted at the cyclocross crowd. With 90mm machined aluminum arms, titanium hardware, road brake pad holders that allow easy toe-in adjustment and spring tension adjustment screws on each arm, these linear pull brakes have all the bells and whistles and are designed to offer road brake lever compatibility without a travel adapter.
Listed at 147 grams per wheel, they’re lighter than some cantilevers. Including all the hardware, our own scale (yes, we come equipped) shows 160 grams total per wheel. That’s certainly more than the company’s high-end cantilevers, but you’ll save a few extra grams getting rid of the front and rear cable hangers.
Why the heck would you want to use a mini v-brake? Issue 7 readers know that it’s one of several solutions to get rid of fork chatter, and can be cheaper than replacing that ultralight carbon cyclocross fork with a similarly expensive, stouter one. It can be the ideal brake in drier climates where pad clearance is not a priority. Price TBD.
Model: CX-9
Weight: 160 grams per wheel, complete
Arm Length: 90mm
Colors: Red, Black
More info: TRPBrakes.com (not yet on their website)
More product highlights to come!
